From Season to Season

In his novel, Brideshead Revisited , Evelyn Waugh tells the story of Charles Ryder and the Marchmain family. Near the end of the novel, Ryder has an awakening, an epiphany , as he watches the final act of faith of a man he presumed shared his ambivalence toward Catholicism. Despite himself, Ryder “felt the longing for a sign…the hand moved slowly down his breast, then to his shoulder, and Lord Marchmain made the Sign of the Cross. Then I knew the sign I had asked for was not a little thing, not a passing nod of recognition, and a phrase came back to me from my childhood of the veil of the temple being rent from top to bottom.” In the ancient world, an epiphaneia was a visible manifestation of a god or the solemn visit of a secular ruler to the cities of his realm. Today’s celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord brings together the quiet realizations of a Charles Ryder with the grandeur of a king’s visit. In this liturgy, we are not passively remembering the journey of the Magi—...

Jesus said to the crowds: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, And I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, For I am meek and humble of heart; And you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” - Matthew 11:28-30   The words of Jesus are not simply idle, poetic phrases. Jesus addresses real human experiences of fatigue, despair, downheartedness, and even exploitation and abuse. Just as the Lord does not “faint or grow weary” in protecting the Chosen People, he gives strength and vigor to the fainting and weak, so that “they who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles’ wings; They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint” (Isaiah 40:30-31). To live a life faithful to the demands of the Gospel requires conviction and strength that can waiver, no matter how good and pure our intentions may be. Jesus’ words are addressed to each of us: in the...